


Thingummy's

by tigerbright



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Matchmaking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 19:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5467640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigerbright/pseuds/tigerbright
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You did ask for a happy ending for Mac... her friends thought she needed one too.</p><p>Many thanks to #Yuletide IRC as a whole and Cedara who prompted (book, scotch, towel, shoes, scarf), Beatrice and Kat who hippoed, and Aris who betaed, in particular. Also to my husband the copy-editor, who still won't accept his Ao3 invite.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thingummy's

**Author's Note:**

  * For [breathedout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/breathedout/gifts).



Phryne came down to the kitchen looking surprisingly gloomy. She slumped on the bench beside Jane, who looked up from her book and leaned gently on her shoulder. 

“Are you all right, Miss Fisher?” Mr. Butler asked. 

Phryne sighed dramatically. Dot sat down on her other side, and Phryne looked at her mournfully. "Dot, I am having a terrible time choosing presents," Phryne fretted. 

"Is that all, miss? I could go shop for you, you know."

"Oh, Dot, I don't want to be the sort of rich woman who sends her maid out to shop for her. And, in any case, I haven't the faintest idea what to get for you, or for Mac, or Jane. And you're the sort of person who's so good at pleasing people, you really deserve a perfect gift."

"Anything you get for me will be fine," Dot assured her, trying not to think of the feathery confection that had been her birthday present. "For Jane, I think that she has no danger of running out of books, so perhaps something for her room, or something to pull over her when she falls asleep in that chair she sits in to read." Jane looked up in time to hear this and shook her head. “Not a blanket, please, Dot!”

Dot laughed. “Well, I can see what it takes to get you out of a book, then!”

"But what about Mac?" Phryne wondered. She sat at the table and intercepted Jane's cocoa. Mr. Butler went to get another, twinkling at Dot over Phryne's head.

"Perhaps a book? Jane might have a suggestion."

"Jane, what sort of book do you think Mac would like for Christmas?" Phryne asked.

Jane looked up blankly. "How would I know?"

Phryne sighed. "Do you at least know her favorite bookshop?"

"That's easy. It's the one with that green door, um, thingummy's."

"Thompson and Sons," Dot supplied. "It's run by the daughter, though."

"Isn't that always the way?" Phryne sighed.

==

Phryne was pleased by how her gifts had gone over. Dot had thanked her for the paisley shawl (“It’s got some of the same pink as my favorite dress, miss”), Mr. Butler appreciated the magazine subscription, and Bert and Cec were delighted by the books of essays by Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman, respectively (“I knew there had to be women like this in the movement, miss”). Even Jane was happy with the framed Japanese prints for her walls.

Mac was already deep into Djuna Barnes' Ladies Almanack (Sally Thompson’s recommendation), a forgotten glass of single-malt Scotch balanced precariously on the armrest. She was not so buried as to miss Jane hovering over her shoulder, however.

"However much Phryne and I are ready to further your education beyond the usual," she informed Jane, "I do like to finish a book before I need to explain it to you. And Phryne, was Paris really like this, for heaven's sake?"

"Sappho is rather worshipped in Paris," Phryne agreed. "I spent my last few months wrapped up in my abusive artists, though."

"If this book is at all accurate, I'm not sure you'd have been better off," Mac grumbled.

"I think I'd better borrow that book back from you when you're done," Phryne said cheerfully. "We can't let inaccuracies pass by us, let alone slanders."

==

Sally Thompson was cleaning her front window the next time Mac stopped by the shop. "Come in," Sally said cheerfully. "I won't be a moment; just need to make sure people can actually see that there's a person in here to sell them a book."

Mac wandered in and plucked a book at random from a shelf. It was, of course, a lurid mystery novel of the sort Phryne liked. She put it back.

"I've got some suitable for kids," Sally told her, coming back with the filthy towel, which she looked at ruefully before dropping it into a rubbish bin. "I know that Janey really enjoys mysteries, and there's this new American series called Hardy Boys."

"She really wanted to get at the Ladies Almanack," Mac replied dryly.

"She won't get much out of that yet," Sally laughed. "Tell her I've got better books on learning that sort of thing."

"What she really needs is some properly cautionary tales, not all this bodice ripping."

"Take the Hardy Boys, then. Maybe not cautionary, but at least they have some respect for the girls."

Mac took the Hardy Boys, reflecting that Sally was usually right about people... oh. "Sally, are you free tonight? I'd like to talk more about your taste in... recommendations."

==

Dot finished distributing flowers on the wards and stopped in at the office to see Dr. Mac. She was surprised to see the doctor scowling at her new shoes, which had clearly been kicked off with some force.

"What’s wrong, Dr. MacMillan? Those are lovely shoes. I think you might even have more pairs of shoes than Miss Fisher does."

Mac snorted. "The day I have more shoes than Phryne..."

"I think you're having trouble fitting them to your foot. That's why you have so many, isn't it?"

"Dot..."

"And while I'm at it, if you don't mind my saying so," Dot continued, "your suits don't fit properly either."

"Dot, really..."

"Miss Fisher asked me to take you to Madame Fleuri."

"Phryne asked you to WHAT?"

"She asked Madame Fleuri where one could get men's suits styled for a woman, and Madame Fleuri said that she could do it far better than any man. So you have an appointment for 9:00 sharp tomorrow."

Mac's doubt showed in her face and posture as she walked into the salon. It was only slightly assuaged by Madame Fleuri’s indignant response to her questions. "It would be stupid to dress you in anything but trousers and waistcoats. But at the same time, you cannot always go around in pret-a-porter clothes just because they appeal to your masculine sensibilities, and you can't go to a tailor specifically for men either."

Dot nodded triumphantly to Mac.

"Fine." Mac crossed her arms.

"I cannot fit you like that," Madame said patiently.

So Mac stood for hours, it seemed, being measured and pinned and asked her opinion of things she had not thought about since she was much younger, and promised, grudgingly, to go back.

And she had to admit, the beautiful brown suit with its delicate waistcoat and fitted trousers was much nicer than her plaids. And the kiss of approval from Sally, when she stopped by the shop, was nice too.

"I got the invitation for the Easter party from Phryne," Sally added. "She said that even though I'd be your plus-one, she wanted to make sure that I knew it was black-tie, so that you'd be dressed appropriately."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "And I suppose you and I are going back to Madame Fleuri?"

"Phryne did offer, yes." Sally grinned and kissed her again. Mac resigned herself, not very grudgingly, to her fate.

==

"Mac!" Phryne floated in, wearing what Mac suspected was kept from floating away only by stickum. "And Sally! So glad you could come to my little soiree."

"Why, Dr. MacMillan, that black suit looks perfect on you," Dot remarked innocently. "And Miss Thompson, I see your dress is the same shade as Mac's beautiful scarf."

"A coincidence, I assure you," Sally smiled.

"Except that she bought me this scarf," Mac scoffed. Sally smirked.

Mr. Butler quietly placed a tray with two glasses on an end table by a small sofa. "Would you two ladies care to sit down?" he offered. Mac rolled her eyes, but accepted Sally's nudge and hint, ushering her ostentatiously to the seat nearer to Phryne. Dot repressed a giggle.

Jane poked her head in, smiled happily, and went into the kitchen with her book.

"Mr. Butler, Dot was so right to prompt Miss Fisher to ask about Dr. Mac's favorite bookseller."

"She does seem to have a bit of a talent for such things," Mr. Butler agreed.

"Funny, I would have thought that her priest would have had words about those things."

"Priests, I have found, tend to forget that women exist," Mr. Butler said benevolently. "And I have found that Dorothy does not ask Father Grogan too many questions about things that might keep her from helping her friends."

"Was this all your idea?"

He twinkled at her. "I think it was a joint effort, young lady."

Jane laughed. "I distinctly remember you asking me if I knew anyone who might be good for Dr. MacMillan."

"And Dot and I both know that you never forget the name of a bookshop. Thingummy's, my dear?"

Jane shrugged. "Thank you for saving me a chocolate souffle, Mr. Butler."

**Author's Note:**

> Research is often good for plotbunnies, even ones that turn into fluff!
> 
> Links in somewhat reverse order:  
> http://jwa.org/womenofvalor/goldman  
> https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=1928+children%27s+books  
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladies_Almanack  
> https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=1928+books


End file.
